Omen
by Silverblind
Summary: A lost child, an ancient omen and an ancestral game. Two souls who should have not met in this life are reunited without knowing that their fate is an endless game of chess on the board of the universe. ZelGan, rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello! A new fic for you, dear readers.**

**IMPORTANT note before you start : My Beta told me that, in Gerudo culture, only one male is born every 100 years. Well, for the sake of this story, let's reduce that to 40 years, shall we? (I didn't know that before she pointed it out, and, if I modify this to fit canon, many turning points in the story won't work anymore :/)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The harsh desert sun shone mercilessly upon the red dunes of Gerudo desert, destroying everything which could not hide from its rays. Yet against the cruel glare two figures stood proudly over their horses, pushing the beasts on within the choking heat. They were clothed in light leather and thin silk, the weathered, bronze skin of their muscled arms showing under the sleeveless tunics they wore. A veil covered their noses and mouths, offering to the searing desert wind only their golden eyes to attack.

"I am telling you I saw something around here!"

The words had been filled with frustration, the voice deep and rich but still unquestionably feminine. A sigh escaped the other's lips.

"We should go back. It will be night in barely two hours. You know we shouldn't be out here when it comes."

Once again, it was a woman who had spoken. Despite the warning, they both rode on, their keen golden eyes scanning the desolate landscape for any sign of life. Suddenly, a cry rose and an arm shot forward, pointing at the top of a nearby dune.

"There!" she cried, pushing her horse into a gallop before the second woman could speak.

Shaking her head, the other followed her companion. The two horses had no trouble running over the shifting sand, their hooves touching the ground but a second as they climbed the steep, sloping dune, seemingly flying over the treacherous earth. As both women reached the summit they pulled on their reins, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

"By Din…"

"Is that – Is that what I think it is?"

Before the two women lay a child, unmoving under the blistering sun of a desert it should never have set foot in. Long, golden hair, pointy ears and rich, soft clothes, too hot for the desert wind, easily betrayed the child's origins.

"A Hylian girl," one of the women whispered, as if for only herself to hear. "But… no scouts reported any Hylian presence inside our borders. How did she – "

Her voice trailed off as the other sprang off her horse and approached the motionless child before kneeling next to her, gently brushing sweat-drenched, golden locks off the girl's face.

"By Din, what are you doing, Sasri?" hissed the first woman, glaring daggers at her companion.

"We can't let her die out there, Siama," the other snapped. "You can leave if you want, but _I _ won't abandon her like her parents have."

"She is probably merely lost, Din knows how _precious _Hylian children are to their parents," Siama spat, shooting nervous glances around, although nothing but sand was to be seen. "We should leave before those bastards find us here and accuse us of kidnapping their children – _again_."

"You said it yourself," Sasri replied as she lifted the girl off the ground, cradling her delicately against her chest. "There are no Hylians here. You can stay or leave; but _I_ won't let it be said that a Gerudo has left an innocent child to die because of the sins of people she knows nothing about."

Heavy silence fell as the last words left Sasri's mouth, and she refused to look at her companion as she placed the child on the saddle before her as she mounted her horse, holding the girl firmly but gently against her. Turning away from Siama, she spurred her horse, leading him and her precious cargo toward the Gerudo camp. Sighing again, Siama slowly followed her companion, the only sign of her displeasure the furrowing of her brows and the rage in her golden eyes.

The wind howled far above the two women, and, somewhere, in a place no mortal had ever set foot, the ghost of a cruel smile passed on a woman's lips. Din chuckled darkly.

"It seems I have won this time, sisters."

* * *

Heat and thirst. Those were the only two things she could feel as she lay under the harsh glare of the desert sun. She had gone for as long as she could, searching for somebody, anybody, who could tell her _why, how, when, __**where? **_She had gone until her mind was blank with pain, until she couldn't remember her own name, until she collapsed and couldn't pick herself up once more like she had done countless times before. As she rolled onto her back, as she felt sand infiltrating any place it could reach, scratching at her pale, delicate skin, she let her eyes slip shut although she knew she shouldn't, just to block out the fiery light of the sun for a second, a minute, an hour, just to replace it with the black curtains of her eyelids. She didn't know how long she lay there, as she drifted between consciousness and oblivion, but suddenly there were voices and shouts. She felt something warm around her as a rolling motion softly brought her mind back into the waking world. She felt herself being picked up and put back down a second later on a cool, hard surface. The girl tried to open her eyes, but her body refused to obey her. People were still talking around her, feminine voices speaking a strange language she had never heard. A cool liquid suddenly dripped onto her lips, and her tongue darted out reflexively, tasting the fresh liquid. Water. More. As she opened her mouth to speak, the rim of a cup was pressed to her lips, and she drank greedily, choking as she tried to swallow too much at once but relishing the feeling of cold water cascading down her parched throat. The heat didn't seem as unbearable now, and her head soon fell back and a deep, dreamless slumber quickly took her.

* * *

"We should take her back to Castle Town."

"_No!_ Of course not! They will think we kidnapped her if we do. I say, leave her on Hyrule's border and let her find her way!"

"I have a better idea! We should enslave and torture us like the other Hylians have done to us for centuries!"

"Sister, she is but a child! What has _she _done to us?"

"Nothing… yet!"

The sun was setting on the Gerudo encampment, the choking heat of the day quickly receding to allow the pleasant coolness of the night to take its place. A large group of women had gathered around one of their sister's latest discovery, whispering between themselves as they eyed the find suspiciously. The Hylian girl was sleeping, her small, sunburned face finally relaxing into a neutral expression.

"Perhaps we should send her back into the desert, let her go back to wherever she came from."

"I don't care, as long as she and the rest of her blasted kind never come near us again!"

"Enough!"

The voice was deep and powerful, easily covering the women's whispers. A large figure shouldered its way to the first row, followed by a much smaller silhouette. Silence had quickly fallen upon the group, and all eyes were trained on the two newcomers.

"Who found her?"

A woman stepped forward, bowing low as she answered.

"I did, your Majesty."

She waited for the blow that would inevitably come. She cursed herself now for her foolishness. Bringing a Hylian to their camp, even though she was a child, would surely-

"Very good."

The woman's head snapped up at the pleased tone as whispers rose once more around her.

"But, my King, I don't understand…" Sasri stammered, eyes once more trained on her feet as the man's eyes swept her way.

"Koume and Kotake had long since told me of her arrival. Din hasd grand plans for this child," the king of the Gerudo said, staring down at the slumbering girl. "She must become one of our own."

A stunned silence answered him, but shouts and cries of protest and outrage quickly rose from the crowd, many women stepping forward menacingly as their golden eyes darkened in rage. However, with a wave of the king's hand, the clamor died down, although many still glanced at the leader with suppressed rage.

"So has spoken the almighty Din," stated the man matter-of-factly. "Thali!"

The called Gerudo stepped forward, bowing before her king before she spoke.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"You speak Hylian. You will take the girl in your care and harden her. I trust you will make a true Gerudo out of her," the king stated, the authority in his voice preventing any protest.

The woman's eyes flicked to the sleeping child, and there was a second of silence before the only answer she could give passed her lips.

"Yes, your Majesty."

The man silently turned on his heels and walked away briskly, signaling everything had been said and done. The group slowly started to disband, and soon there was no one left but Vivian and the small figure who had come with the king, both staring at the fair-skinned creature who had started to stir. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, her gaze first meeting with the bloodied sky of the desert sunset and then sweeping over the endless sea of sand, her brows knitting together in confusion. Before she could dwell further on her surroundings, however, a voice spoke up.

"What's your name?"

The voice was juvenile, yet the tone was already commanding, a thick accent making his words difficult to understand. The girl's eyes settled upon a young, dark-skinned boy, a few years older than herself, perhaps. There was a fierce scowl on his face and a wild glimmer in his eyes. Next to him stood a tall woman, her skin as dark as his, and her fire-red hair tied high in a ponytail. Even then, the crimson strands cascaded below her waist. As the girl's eyes traveled back to the boy, she opened her mouth to speak, before realizing she didn't know what she was to say. She sat up, her brows furrowing in thought as she searched for the lost information.

"I-I don't know…"

Her voice was weak and cracked from lack of water. She looked up at the woman, tears welling in her eyes.

"I don't know," she repeated pitifully.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Don't mock us!" the boy snarled at her, his small fist tightening in anger. As he stepped forward, a hand prevented him from going further.

The woman stared at the girl with a raised brow before kneeling in front her, gripping her arm tight as she reached for her neck. The girl recoiled but couldn't escape her hand as it rummaged around her delicate neck.

"Ah, Hylians and their ridiculous trinkets," she sniggered as she finally found was she was looking for. "I knew I would find something like this. Useless junk."

With a sharp pull, the delicate, golden chain snapped from around the girl's neck, bringing tears to her eyes at the bite of metal rubbing against her skin.

"Here," said the woman, distracting her from her pain. "Zel-da. You name is Zelda."

She had extended a golden pendant before her. On one of the two faces was scribbled a name in Hylian letters.

"My name is… Zelda?" the child mused, feeling the strange, foreign name roll off her tongue.

She nodded. She decided she liked it. She stared back up at the boy, looking at him expectantly. She said nothing, yet the question was obvious.

"I won't tell you my name, slave!" spat he, once more taking a threatening step forward.

"Don't listen to Ganondorf," the woman suddenly said, stepping forward.

She roughly shoved the boy away, glaring daggers at him. He stared back at her defiantly, jerking his chin upward before walking away.

"He should know that being prince does not mean much here, before he proves himself," she said before her eyes settled back on the Hylian. "I am Thali, and you are among the Gerudos. I have been ordered to care for you.

"Am I a slave?" Zelda asked, visibly frightened at the prospect.

"No," the woman answered, and to the child it seemed like there was bitterness in her voice. "You will stay and be raised as one of our own. So hasd spoken Din. Now, come, and don't stray away from me. Many here want to see you gone."

At the child's frightened whimper Thali's lips curled into a smirk. The faintest hint of malevolence had glimmered in her eyes when she had spoken those words, as if amused by the child's fear. As the two made their way to the camp, the moon rose high above the dunes, clear as it never had been for many years, heralding the birth of a new Gerudo.

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**Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think about this new story. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am a horrible person. No excuses. It's been 9 months. I'm terribly sorry.**

**So not much happening in this chapter - I have another one coming soon, I won't let you down this time!**

**Also, unbeta-ed as I didn't want to make you wait longer than I had to, so please be gentle. I only wish to remind you that English is not my native tongue. :)**

* * *

Zelda watched the sun rise with awe, marveling at the colours she knew she had never seen before until then. It had been a week since her arrival amongst the Gerudo, and although she was not nearly naïve enough to believe she would fit right in with these people she knew were so different from her, the past week had given her reasons to believe that, with time, patience and obedience, she could become, perhaps, one of them. After all, she had nothing to go by now except a vague approximation of her age and her name: she had to be no more than 9, and she was Zelda. When she had first heard the name, on that fateful night, it had woken a distant echo within her mind, but nothing more, and Thali had made it clear to her that, should she remember anything from her earlier life, she was never to return to the _others_. She was not really a prisoner, but knew that, should she try to leave, the Gerudos would not hesitate to do whatever they had to in order to keep her among them. She still not quite grasped the reason which had brought the Gerudo King to welcome her instead of chasing her away like she now realized he would have done with any other Hylian, but hoped that she would soon discover it.

"You're already awake. Good."

The voice wrenched Zelda from her thoughts, and she turned to see Thali scrutinizing her from the base of the dune she was currently sitting atop. The choking heat of the desert was already rising, and she stood as the sun fully appeared from behind the western mountains. Brushing the sand away from the leather trousers she wore, the girl walked up to the Gerudo woman, bowing her head respectfully as she came near; a custom she had learned on the very first day of her new life. When she looked back up, Thali had already walked away, and the girl jogged after her, catching up with the Gerudo and falling in step with her as they circled the slowly waking encampment.

"You've recovered long enough," Thali suddenly said, "and I believe it is time for you to become better acquainted with our way of life."

Gerudo women were already bustling around the tents, extinguishing fires and gathering food for a light breakfast before the day's work began.

"As you undoubtedly already know, we are warriors, and each and every one of us has to fight for her right to eat and live among us," the Gerudo explained. "You are one of us now, and so you will have to do the same."

They came to a halt before a tent Zelda had already seen many times, without knowing what purpose it served. Unlike the other tents, it was made of an inky black silk, and faded silver and gold embroideries conferred it a somewhat regal look. She knew it was not the king's tent, for she knew he and his son lived in the red tent completely on the other side of the encampment. Thali's voice once again interrupted her musings as the Gerudo pushed the silk aside, revealing an interior as dark as the night.

"You must now forget you have ever been anything other than a Gerudo. From now on, and since the moment you were born, you were, are and always will be a Gerudo."

At these words, Thali grabbed the girl's arm and roughly pushed her inside, the Hylian stumbling into the darkness with a yelp. When she turned around, the flaphad been closed, shutting out all light and sound from the darkened tent. Facing back into the direction she believed to be the back of the tent, Zelda carefully stepped forward, her hands extended before her, the slightest sound making her jump as she listened intently for any sign of another person being in the dark with her. Just as she thought she could hear someone breathing in front of her, a hand seized her wrist, and she screamed, instinct immediately taking over. She clawed at the fingers she felt wrapped around her arms, and was ready to bite when a brazier sprung to life before her, and she found herself looking at the mildly irritated but decidedly amused face of the Gerudo king, if the smirk she saw tugging at the corners of his lips was anything to go by. She stared at him a long while, dumbfounded, before she remembered herself and dropped to her knees, lowering her eyes to the rug-covered ground, waiting with balled fists for his anger.

"Do not fear, child," said a voice coming from behind the king, deeper into the inky darkness. "He will do you no harm."

The voice had been that of an old woman, and as Zelda stood she was pushed forward, and another fire blazed alight before her, revealing two wrinkled faces. They smiled a toothless smile at the sight of her before they began speaking.

"I would say we have the right one, sister," one said, her beady, black eyes not leaving the young girl's face as she spoke.

"Of course we have, sister," the other replied. "Those eyes alone would be enough to give her away if we didn't feel her magic roaring inside her from here."

"You are of course right, dear sister," the first said.

"Come closer, child," they finally said together, smiling once more as they curled a beckoning finger at her.

Zelda hesitated, but a hand on her back ushered her forward, and she had no choice but to obey.

"I am Koume," said one.

"And I am Kotake," said the other.

She could see them better now. Their long, protruding noses seemed out of place in the portrait of their thin faces, transforming what could have otherwise been a welcoming expression into a terrifying visage. The candles around them shot ominous shadows upon their wrinkled faces, and it took the girl all of her courage not to recoil at the sight of them. They had unnaturally small and frail bodies, weakened and withered by time, and they were both perched upon high stools, sitting cross-legged on intricately-designed cushions. Their smiles widened as if they could hear her thoughts, revealing sets of razor-sharp, feline teeth, and they motioned for the king to step closer, interrupting the girl's scrutiny.

"Show us her hands, Verakan," Koume said.

The tone had been commanding, and Zelda half-expected the king to burst in anger at receiving such an order. She already knew Verakan to be a short-tempered, susceptible man, having been many times witness to bouts of his anger and the consequences which awaited those who provoked them. As she waited for his outburst, she could not hide her surprise when he obediently kneeled next to her and took her hands in his, extending them before her with an almost religious deference as the two elderly women scooted to the edge of their seats. The stared intently at the back of the girl's hands for a long time before they looked back up at her, their smiles even wider than before.

"We have definitely found her, sister," Kotake cackled.

"It would seem so, sister, Koume answered in kind.

As Verakan released her hands, the girl brought them to her face, frowning as she tried to see what the two old women had seen. There was nothing on the backs of her hands but a faded, triangular scar she knew had always been there, on her left hand. It was barely more than a blemish, unnoticeable unless you knew it was there and you looked for it. It was slightly off-center too, being slightly lower to the left of the middle of her hand. When she looked up again the two women were smiling and a hand landed on her shoulder, slowly ushering her away.

"We will see you again soon, Zelda," Koume said.

"The winds are in your favor, child," Kotake added.

"You are a Gerudo," Koume finally chimed as the two braziers lighting the tent were suddenly snuffed out, engulfing them in darkness and preventing the girl from even seeing her own hands.

Had it not been for the king's grip on her shoulder, she would have been lost in the inky blackness. Finally she heard him reach forward, and a harsh light suddenly sliced through the darkness, blinding her before she slammed her lids shut. She knew she had entered the tent a little after dawn, but the light that now stung her eyes seemed to be that of a midday sun, although it seemed mere minutes to her since she had first entered the tent. She could feel the king pushing her forward still, and so she obeyed, forcing her eyes open when she heard the king's voice behind her.

"I have no doubt you have heard and understood Koume and Kotake's words," he started, starting to walk away, a minute wave of his hand the only sign she should follow suit. "But don't think you are one of us yet. You are a Gerudo, that much is true, but you are not a warrior. You will be trained in the way of battle, strategy, and hunt and, if our elders see it fit, magic. Your training will begin this evening."

His last words left no doubt that the conversation was over. Zelda watched him disappear between the tents as Gerudo women busied themselves around her, either preparing for the hunt or taking care of small, ashen-skinned girls. 'I am Gerudo', she thought to herself, slowly walking toward the tent Thali and her daughters shared with her. 'I am a Gerudo.'

* * *

"Come."

Zelda's eyes rose from her tea to meet Thali's, the impatient tapping of the woman's foot making her stand quickly before she followed her outside the tent she had been sitting in. The late afternoon sun shone low above the peaks to the east, splattering reds and golds across the sky. The wind had awoken, and was now blowing relentlessly across the camp, and most had taken refuge inside to avoid its stinging heat. Thali silently handed her a piece of cloth that the girl wrapped around her lower face as she had been shown before, and followed the Gerudo woman wordlessly when she was done.

"First lesson," Thali finally said as they entered the rudimentary stables built on the outskirts of the camp. "Our horses are our most prized possession. Each of us has her own and, without your horse, you cannot go hunting, and so you do not eat. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Zelda answered.

"For now we have no foal for you, and so you will have to wait. Laiva had volunteered her horse for you. You will need to thank her later. Perhaps you do not understand now how much of a personal risk she is taking by doing this, but you will, soon enough," Thali explained as she saddled her horse. "Here, let me show you."

After demonstrating the basics of saddling a horse to the young girl, the Gerudo helped the Hylian upon the beast's back and, somehow, her body adjusted to the saddle on its own, sliding a bit forward so she was in the most comfortable position for her and her horse, tilting her body forward so that she would not lose her balance. The subtle gestures were not missed by Thali, and she nodded appreciatively.

"You may not remember you ever rode a horse," she said simply as she climbed upon her own horse, "But your body does. Follow me."

They exited the stables as the night fell, and rode in silence for several minutes until Thali began to speak.

"Second lesson," she suddenly said, startling Zelda slightly. "Never get caught outside at night alone. In fact, never get caught out at night if you can help it. Our current situation may seem contradictory to what I just said, but there are a few safe zones that we managed to establish over time. I am taking you to the nearest oasis. The route between the camp and there is mostly safe, but there have been a few incidents."

"Safe?" Zelda asked. "From what?"

"Wild beasts," The dark-skinned woman answered. "Thieves. Rogue Gerudos. Hylian soldiers." Her eyes had darkened with that last mention, but she quickly schooled her features back to a cool stone mask. "But, as I said, it is mostly safe."

The oasis came in sight as she said those words, and Zelda could not contain a gasp at the surprising sight. Gigantic, exotic trees with spiky leaves threw their imposing shadows upon the moonlit sand, an outlandish sight for the Hylian who had seen nothing but sand for a week. Animal cries reached their ears as the Gerudo and the Hylian approached. Sand soon transformed into dirt, and dirt quickly became covered with sparse but strong grass as they delved deeper into the seemingly teeming forest. The wind was calmer here, but still present, and they lowered the scarf that covered their faces, no longer fearing that sand would enter their noses or mouths. Finally they reached the water, the moon reflected in the crystal clear pool enough to light up the surrounding shores. Thali pulled on the reins, and her horse stopped, Zelda's mount instinctively imitating it. They both clambered off their horses, loosely tying the reins around a nearby trunk before they sat by the waterside. They both stared in the water for a long time before one of them spoke.

"The Gerudos have lived in the desert for thousands of years," Thali began, watching as a deer-like creature carefully lowered its head to the water on a nearby bank. "We are ancient, and some say we were here even before the Hylians. We have always lived in the desert, and our lifestyle never changed. You will never see a Gerudo living in a stone house, like you Hylians do. The only permanent thing we ever built is our temple."

Her arm extended before her, her finger pointing high in the night sky, and, squinting, Zelda could make out an imposing structure in the distance, the moon gleaming off the graceful, impossibly high towers of the temple. Thali spoke again, drawing the girl's attention back to her.

"The desert has everything we need. We find life where all see nothing but death, and water where all they see is fire. Where others would get lost and desperate, we know how to navigate this desolate landscape with every bit of information we find written in the sand, the stone or the sky."

For the first time, Thali looked at the Hylian girl next to her, and Zelda did the same, their eyes meeting.

"You are a Gerudo, and so you must behave like one. No Gerudo is ever excluded from the clan, unless a very serious crime has been committed, for exclusion here often means death. I know you are wise beyond your years, and so you may have noticed that many in the village do not approve of your presence. That is why although every Gerudo has to prove their worth, you will have to work even harder. But know that, should you be in need, No one will look down upon you and sneer; you will always find a helping hand as long as you stay with us."

She reached for the sheath at her hips, and pulled out a curved, silvery knife, the blade gleaming in the moonlight and sending small slivers of light dancing upon the woman's cheeks.

"Din is the only mother you ever knew now, and the only one you will ever need. You must pay her the respect she deserves as matron of our land by becoming a true warrior to fight in her name and always respecting every order that is given to you. You will not know fear and you will defend your clan with your life is you must. This you promise?"

"Yes, I promise," the girl answered, nodding her head.

She jumped when Thali suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair, barely smothering a pained yelp when the woman pulled her toward her with a sharp tug.

"Then it is done," the Gerudo said, raising her knife.

As she saw the knife come down upon her, Zelda screamed and kicked, trying to escape the iron grip the woman held on her long blond hair. Closing her eyes, she struggled still as she prepared for the pain, but there was none. She was suddenly freed, and she fell on her back, putting a hand to her tender scalp only to find the hair cut short there. She stared back up at the Gerudo woman in disbelief, anger and pain boiling in her blood, and she opened her mouth to protest, but Thali spoke first. She brandished the fistful of golden locks she had just cut over her head, sheathing the knife.

"This is the kind of reaction you must banish. This is not the Gerudo's way. You must be calm and controlled no matter the situation, no matter the danger you are in. You will learn."

Zelda felt tears welling in her eyes, but despite the overwhelming urge she had to cry, she held back, nodding and looking away. She finally swallowed her tears and looked back at the Gerudo.

"Long hair is a symbol of power amongst the Gerudos. It means you are a true warrior and many have recognized your worth. You shall not be allowed to let your hair grow out until you have proven yourself," Thali finally said.

At Zelda's final nod of understanding, she threw the severed hair into the oasis, where it floated for a second before the waterlogged locks sunk beneath the surface, swallowed by the dark waters of the oasis. The Gerudo rose before offering her hand to the girl and hauling her to her feet.

"Let's go back home," she said simply, and the two started the trek back to the slumbering camp.

* * *

**As I said up there, not much happening, mainly setting the scene for the main action later in the story, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Stay tuned!**


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